Act Two: A Tide of Darkness
by Lavenian
Summary: A dark force threatens to crush the Guardians and the Kingdom of Arendelle. At the heart of this conflict is a fun-loving Winter Spirit, a classy Snow Queen, and a burning shadow seeking to tear asunder the bond which they share. (Sequel/continuation of A Portrait's World Apart)
1. Fire in the Sky

**So this is the sequel/continuation of my previous Jelsa fanfiction: A Portrait's World Apart**

**If you haven't read it yet, I recommend you do so or else you will be seriously confused. The only reason for the switch was because the previous title had essentially lost its relevant meaning as the story developed.**

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><p>Footfalls could be heard down the halls of the rank prison, they were heavy, scraping against the oppressive granite with a loud shuffle. The tenant down the very end of the hall knew this because the sound of bare feet on the floors was substantially different from one with shoes on, he has known this for the past seven years he has been stuck rotting in this hellhole.<p>

The steps became louder and echoed more prominently, and realized they were heading in his direction. He looked up from where he sat and gazed upon a familiar face he hadn't seen in many, many years. He had neatly groomed black hair with a pair of round spectacles in front of his soft, hazel eyes.

"Klaus?"

"Hello, Hans, it's been ages, hasn't it?"

Hans stood up from his stone bench and walked towards his older brother, "Why are you here, Klaus?"

"It's... it's complicated, Hans. I'll tell you all about it in a little while, right now, I'm here to release you."

Hans raised a brow, "What's this all about, Klaus? Are you trying to make a criminal of yourself by freeing me?"

Klaus chuckled, "Oh I only wish, I actually have a royal decree here sanctioning your release."

Hans was even more confused, "Who would want me, a regicidal criminal, set free?"

Klaus was shifting through the assorted ring of keys while he replied, "Apparently, Albrecht does."

"Albrecht? What does that toad stand to gain from releasing me?"

Klaus sighed, "You'll find out once we return to his chateau."

(Another world)

One night, the Guardians were about their business in the world.

Sandy was in Rome handling the nighttime business of dreaming.

Tooth was directing her fairies to assorted thousand places throughout the Earth to find teeth under pillows.

And good ol' North and Bunny were about getting ready for their respective time of the year to bring hope and wonder that year.

But not all was right in the world that day, especially on a day like this.

_There was Fire in the Sky_

Sandy entered a little flat to check on one little guy who was having a little bit of a bad dream and make it all better. The swirling mass of Dreamsand was about to shift to a haze of Nightmare Dust, but Sandy was there to make sure it went better.

He smiled at his work and was about to depart when he saw sparking embers in the fireplace run wild for some strange reason. He thought nothing of it as he returned to his floating golden cloud and resumed threading his Dreamsand through the sky.

The strange flickering flames began to dance a bit more intensely, and without another warning, an errant spark popped out and fluttered, seemingly in a harmless fashion, before it touched the strand of Dreamsand; the immense heat turning the Sand into glass and trailed to Sandman. It's heated touch tracing through towards Sandy's cloud; Sandy only just noticed when the glass was nearly upon him.

He jumped off at the last minute as he watched his precious Sand consumed by the strange glass. His eyes widened when a surge of glowing, fiery red veins followed after the glass and reached the petrified cloud, exploding with a sudden burst of noise and heat, flinging shards of glass all around. Sandman, as the oldest of the Guardians, had seen many things in his life, but to watch as the strange fire consumed his Dreamsand and shattered it like that, now that was something else.

Of course it could not compare to the sudden shine of moonlight that came down upon him – the Man on the Moon needed the Guardians, and for the first time in forever, it was HE who gave the signal for them to assemble.

(The Easter Warren)

Millions of dozens of eggs marched along the grassy lanes and across flowers spitting multicolored mist through them, decorating them in fancy colors and glittering shades.

Bunnymund was sitting on a tall mound of stone adjusting and repainting one little egg that looked a little off around the bottom, he took his little painting brush and swabbed something a bit more fancy for the kids to have.

Without warning a sudden rumble reverberated in his domain, all the eggs stopped in their tracks and Bunny looked around, puzzled. Then, the rumble returned, and another sound, kind of like creaking, was suddenly audible, "Somethin' ain't right here."

Bunnymund raced through his Warren, trying to discover the source of the rumbling noise, finally coming to a clearing around the side where he saw a small crack forming on the ground, an eerie, fiery glow and thick red smoke puffing from it.

"What in the-" Bunnymund tread closer to the mysterious fissure. The crack began to expand, and the rumbling occurred again, followed this time by sparks of light and lashing tongues of flame coming from the opening. Suddenly, a large dark blob emerged and started bounding around the Warren, smashing various Easter eggs as they scrambled to get away.

"Hey, Hey! What are you doing!?" Bunny bounced along the large mounds of rock after the bounding blob. Once he had a clear shot, he tossed one of his trusty boomerangs at the invader, "Now that was a hit!"

The blob rolled and tumbled away to a corner out of Bunnymund's sight before he could go after it. He looked around and frowned at the sight before him, although it didn't do too much damage, it was enough to set him back for a while.

As he pondered the identity of the mystery attacker, he was suddenly blinded by a soft light that beamed from above. Looking up at the sky above his Warren, he saw the Moon, glimmering an unsettled shimmer that betrayed a distant worry.

The Man on the Moon, unsettled? Manny always had faith in the Guardians to save the world and the children, and as such there was never any reason for HIM of all people to seem panicked. The only reason he would beckon the Guardians directly and with such alarm was if there were a threat to the world that was even bigger than Pitch himself, and there aren't many threats in the world Bunny knew of more than Pitch.

Tapping his large rabbit's foot, he formed a tunnel beneath his domain and traveled to the Guardians' rendezvous point – North's workshop.

(Toothiana)

Thousands of buzzing little tooth fairies were fluttering about in the Tooth Palace, putting their hard-earned finds into golden cylinders as they did so, to preserve the memories of the children as they grew older and needed to recall some pivotal moment of their lives that was needed when it was needed.

But surprisingly, for the first time in centuries, Toothiana herself was not around directing the traffic of her little ones. No, ever since the debacle with Pitch a year ago Tooth realized she needed to go out and experience what it was like to be about the field again, oh the memories of those days.

Tooth checked on a little girl in France who tucked her little front-left tooth under her pillow, hoping for a little something in return. As always, the Tooth Fairy was there, grinning happily for the little girl before placing a roll of euro as a reward.

"Oh what a precious little central incisor she has. Still has a bit of blood on it," then she recalled the incident with Sophie, "Um... yeah, hehe, better clean this one up when I get back."

Once outside, Tooth looked at the little pouch she had collected for herself that night. Oh how she loved being back in the field, it brought back fond memories.

"Now, let's see, I know there's one more somewhere down at Calais, and then that's it for-"

Her train of thought was suddenly disrupted when she heard a sinister howling in the wind. The sound made a tingle run up her spine, and she looked about cautiously, her little minions fluttering nearby defensively.

She flew carefully down the empty streets, taking a deep breath and moving cautiously. A slight huff in the air, and she whirled around and saw a shadow whirling by a corner store, "All right, I see you right there, come out right now!"

The shadow emerged and allowed itself to be more clearly visible, Tooth looked both alarmed and puzzled at the strange creature – a wolf made of pure darkness and fire flickering from his mouth and eyes.

"Who... what are you?"

The hellish wolf lunged towards her in reply, growling angrily as he did.

Tooth bolted up into the air with her mini fairies to evade his attack, taking the dark wolf and throwing him towards a nearby food stand, smashing the items inside to bits.

"Whoever owns that stand isn't going to like that in the morning."

The wolf decided it wouldn't have none of her sass, however, and bolted out of the broken stand and lunged towards Tooth, she evaded in the nick of time, but Baby Tooth wasn't nearly as lucky and was pinned under the wolf's paw, shrieking for help.

"Baby Tooth!"

Baby Tooth looked up in terror, watching as the creature opened his maw, a burning flame emanating from its mouth.

Toothiana, acting on instinct, dive-bombed and penetrated the wolf's hide with her hidden blade, eliciting a howl and forcing the wolf away from Baby Tooth. The creature's wound was especially deep and bled molten hot magma. The creature whimpered before morphing into a black and fiery red slime and slinked its way back into a little crevice, where the shadow of the little opening made for a convenient getaway.

"Baby Tooth! Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

The little fairy shook her head and smiled weakly, assuring Toothiana that she was all right. Once everything died down, she resumed her task of retrieving the world's teeth, but not without the thought of the mysterious wolf cloaked in hellfire still reeling in her mind.

What was that thing? Why did it try to attack her and her fairies? So many questions and no real way to answer them.

A strong light shone from the full moon above, a call had been sounded to the Guardians once more, only this time, Toothiana noted, it was the Man in the Moon who sounded the call, rather than North with his bright, multi-colored lights in the sky.

Perhaps he could give her the answers to the questions that plagued her that night?

(North's Workshop)

North chewed on a little chocolate chip cookie while marching about the workshop, examining various toys which his yetis were busy assembling.

His face turned to one who was painting assorted toy rockets red, he took a look at one completed product, before setting it back down, gazing down at the yeti with a smug grin, "Let's try something different this year, paint them all green."

The yeti yelped in surprise, throwing his arms up and groaning in exasperation, swearing to head home for the Himalayas later that month.

North opened the door to his office and went over the Naughty and Nice list again, making sure that the appropriate present got to the right household (and not a misplaced lump of coal).

He was sipping up some eggnog when the entire workshop shook at some tremendous force that rocked the building to its foundation.

"What is going on!?" North exclaimed, scrambling out of his office and looking around, his eyes furrowing in irritation. The elves hastily began pointing towards his massive globe, which began showing strange reddish streaks along the surface.

North, as a Guardian, had seen many things, like Indians playing Jenga with heavy bricks on their heads, or humans taking cosmetic surgeries to turn into lizards, or American patriotic super-soldiers wearing the Red-White-and-Blue as a uniform and being frozen in ice.

(I think you see what I did there)

But this one was particular for one reason: It was happening in his workshop.

Suddenly, an otherworldly howl, like that of a wolf, but distorted and hollow, echoed through his shop, what followed was a sudden flood of pure dark matter rushing in from the black crevices of the shop. North found himself nearly swept off his boots as the tidal wave of blackness overwhelmed his shop. The Yetis and Elves began prancing about like mad, as though the end of the world was upon them, but in a situation like that, no one would think otherwise.

When the Darkness dissipated, retreating back into the tiny cracks and crevices, the whole shop was in total chaos – Everywhere toys, furniture and pieces of the floorboards were torn up and, perhaps more pressing, the fire alarms blared as smoke and hot flame engulfed the toys and the shop. Everywhere the Yetis and Elves tried to fight the blaze that threatened to eat their home.

One troop of Elves pulled out a huge wheeled tank of water with hoses about it and they got to work dousing the flames.

North descended to the bottom of the shop, looking at the damage that had just occurred, feeling his heart sink. He looked around and found a little button-eyed rag doll on the ground, singed but for the most part intact. North smiled, at least he could still salvage what he had left before Christmas.

He was about to stand back up when he noticed an odd shape on the floor, he shifted to come closer, and saw that it looked highly unusual for a burn mark – It was a paw print, a wolf's paw print...

(the Frozen-verse)

It had been so long since Hans felt the feeling of the sea breeze on his face, the only cold thing he felt for years is the frigid rock wall of his cell... and the memory of the Arendelle sisters giving him the Antarctic shoulder (and from Anna, a nearly broken nose).

His brother Klaus was at the helm, directing the ship they were on towards an ominous fortress just a bit off the distance. He had told Hans that Albrecht had been busy in the seven years since their youngest brother's imprisonment. Busy with what, exactly, Klaus was not at liberty to say.

Once their lugger made its way and was lashed firmly to the side of the pier, Klaus and Hans both marched down the gangplank and into the walled fortress. As they did, Hans looked out from the walkway down to the courtyard and saw various soldiers doing drill, some of them looked like professional fighting men, steadfast and grim-faced, decked in fancy new soldiering uniforms, carrying menacing halberds and twirling them in a proud display of their training.

To the side were rugged, unkempt ruffians; mercenaries, Hans thought, they were more interested playing games of chance and drinking liquor than in training drill with the professionals. Which begged the question – what was Albrecht up to? It looked as though he was preparing for war.

(Arendelle)

Elsa was busy trying to write a proper message for Jack, secretly pulling out the Courting Seal of Arendelle, an artifact that hasn't seen use since their father.

So far, none of the letters she had were "good enough" as she put it to give to Jack, and Elsa wanted to maintain a good impression with him, but instead, she developed a headache trying to write the perfect prose.

She laid down against her bed and covered her vision with her arms, trying to go over what she had written so far. Writing letters for your significant other was harder than she thought, so she supposed a nap would be in order and then maybe she would finally find the inspiration she needed. Little did she know there was a strange bird, a raven, looking at her through the window.

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><p>At first, there was darkness, and then there was moisture. Elsa awoke with a start when she suddenly found herself in the middle of what appeared to be some kind of waist-high marsh. Puzzled, Elsa pointed her palms to the murky water, but no ice or frost emerged, leaving her no choice but to wade to wherever she could find a dry place.<p>

After what seemed like an hour, Elsa reached a small island in the middle of the strange, alien bog around her.

"Ugh... what a dreary place," She wrung her soaked dress and took a look around, "How did I get here? I just started taking a nap when- Ah!" A raven swooped down and nearly collided with Elsa without warning. The ominous bird perched atop a a dead, sickly tree which grew in minutes from the earth on the patch of dry soil.

The raven cawed menacingly, before it turned into a mass of dark and reformed into the shape of what appeared to be a a young, pale girl, with jet-black hair covering a half of her face, looking back down at Elsa with a look of unfiltered sorrow in her eerie, golden eyes.

Elsa stared back, concern and caution evident on her own face, not knowing what to make of the strange child who suspiciously appeared before her. The little girl hovered down to the ground, an aura of gloom permeating the air around her.

"Who... who are you?" Elsa finally built up the nerve to ask.

"Sad..."

"What?"

"So sad... you don't know, do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Darkness... a Tide of Darkness will befall you, it shall nest in your heart and cloud your sight, and you will not know it..."

Elsa was genuinely confused"I... I don't understand."

The black-haired girl finally lifted her head to face her, her voice became unexpectedly stern when she spoke, "The only thing you need to understand, Elsa of Arendelle, is that there will come a creature who will poison you with Hate, searing it into your soul and from there compel you to hurt those you love and care for."

Elsa was starting to get angry, incensed that this whelp imply her as some selfish bully.

"Look, little girl, I don't know why you've brought me here. But I will not be talked down by you, especially over matters of the safety of the ones I love and care for."

The little girl, unshaken by Elsa's response, continued, "The Darkness has claimed many things, Elsa, and I am always here to see what new sad souls come crying to this place, to my River of Tears. I come to you only because of one thing - to save someone of the heartbreak you shall cause."

Elsa scowled, "I would never dream of hurting those who I love, girl, why will you not understand?!"

"You will understand, Elsa, and if you do not heed my words, then you have already lost."

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><p>Elsa awoke from her bed with a start, her breathing heavy. She stood up and walked towards the wash basin, splashing her face and keeping it moist for several minutes, trying to gather her thoughts.<p>

"Just calm down, Elsa, it was just a dream, just a-" when she looked down the sight that greeted her chilled her spine: patches of muck from the dream-marsh was awash over the lower half of her dress.

(Albrecht's chateau)

Hans and Klaus paced down carpeted hallways lined by old suits of armor standing in their quiet vigil, behind them were masterpiece portraits of famous generals leading the charge against impossible odds or famous, pivotal battles from history. Albrecht was a very militant individual, he even believed himself the reincarnation of some of history's greatest military geniuses; Hans never quite understood his brother's delusions.

They approached a pair of huge mahogany doors with polished brass inlays. They were flung wide open, and there standing by a wargame table with miniature pieces on it was Albrecht.

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><p>Hans was already a shrewd and conniving backstabber, but it goes without saying that it "runs in the blood."<p>

Hans wasn't always a treacherous sycophant, he learned it all from his older brother – Albrecht.

The Kingdom of the Southern Isles, as it were, would have simply been called the Kingdom of the South Isle were it not for its thirteen princes. They were an ambitious lot, eager to convert their tiny plot of earth on the sea into something more, but they had differing opinions of how to go about it – Some, such as Klaus, sought peaceful unification with neighboring states through alliances and trade agreements; while others used sneakier, subversive means of stealing land that should, by all accounts, not belong to them; Albrecht was one of them, and although he was not the eldest, and certainly did not hold the most authority amongst his siblings, he was the most cunning, creative, and ruthless of them all – his infamy was a closely guarded secret, but the full extent of the terrible things he has done is unknown even amongst his most trusted brothers and comrades.

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><p>Albrecht was like an older version of Hans – auburn hair and sideburns that framed his face, but with wrinkles lining parts of his forehead, and a goatee stretching from the bottom of his lip to the tip of his chin.<p>

He turned around to face his younger brother, "I see the runt of the litter has returned from his little hole in the ground." He plucked a ripe pear from a nearby basket and dug his teeth into it.

Albrecht's words stung Hans's already wounded pride, "You mean the one you and the others threw me into? I didn't know princes could dig holes as good as _dogs_." Hans's words dripped with acidic sarcasm.

The elder sibling snickered, unimpressed by his little brother's attempt at a jab, "I would have dug something far deeper than what they had in mind, dear Hans, but then I wouldn't have been able to retrieve you now like I have."

Hans remembered his brothers deciding his ultimate fate following the Arendelle debacle; one half, the more sensible, reasonable group of the siblings, opted for a lifetime behind bars, while the other half, Albrecht's "personal band" if you will, demanded he be hanged for his stupidity in endangering their diplomatic relations with Arendelle.

"Albrecht, why did you choose to keep me alive?" Hans remembered the day he faced his brothers in court, they all expected it to be a stalemate with both halves voting in equal leanings to their decisions, and everyone was surprised, especially Hans himself, about Albrecht's vote to have him spared.

"Because, little brother..." Albrecht walked up to the window, watching as the sun set into the horizon, "...I believe you can help me in this little excursion I'm undertaking."

Hans raised his brows, "What excursion?"

Albrecht cleared his throat, "You see, Hans, I would have been happy, thrilled even, to see your head decorating the outer wall of my chateau. But after I received the full report of what happened to you from our partners in Weselton, I became intrigued by Elsa, the legendary 'Snow Queen' of Arendelle."

He took another bite of his pear, "So when the time came to decide your fate, I knew the information you could spare me of what occurred that fateful day could be useful."

"Useful for what?"

He turned to Hans, a glint of treachery on his eye, "Why, for when I attack Arendelle."

Hans felt his mouth drop, surely his brother must be completely insane to suggest something as audacious as an invasion of Arendelle?

"Are you mad, Albrecht? No one in the Southern Isles would agree to something as brazen as an assault on another kingdom, our brothers could have you thrown in prison for treason!" He spoke not out of concern for his brother, but simple common sense over his intentions.

Albrecht smirked, "Why do you think I've spent seven years building my strength up in secret?"

"What do you mean?" Then it dawned on Hans, Albrecht was not going to invade Arendelle in an official capacity, and suddenly the odd assortment of soldiers out in the rest of the chateau made sense, "...then, the soldiers outside..."

"Privateers, pirates, mercenaries, bandits, reavers... lowlifes of every stripe flocked under my banner, I paid for and trained them to become my personal army, independent of our kingdom's official standing military, all while, for the past seven years, I waited in silence, even willing to lay low of my usual treachery that our siblings thought I had turned over a new leaf."

"Brother, what are you trying to accomplish? Arendelle is not even that important strategically, at best it's little more than a crossroad for trade, but it's still a backwater."

"Are you familiar with the legend of Disa, Hans?"

He was familiar, yes, but that was just a fairy tale, a myth of the far north from a pagan era that bears no bearing in this age, "Disa is just a myth, Albrecht. You can't possibly believe..."

"Hans..." he cut in, "You witnessed it yourself. You saw, firsthand, a queen with power over frost and snow blanket an entire kingdom and nearly choked the life from it in a flash," he said with a snap of his fingers, "The only time such an event occurred before then was when Disa destroyed hers in her madness. I intend to uncover the source of Elsa's winter powers, and when I do, we shall march over all the corners of the Earth and make them bow before us!"

Hans looked up, the fires of ambition burning in his brother's eyes as he returned to the window.

"What do you say, brother? Will you join me on my expedition? After all, do you not have a score to settle with a pair of Arendelle royals who humiliated you so?"

Hans did not forget that day, the day he came close to claiming another piece of territory for the Southern Isles, and it was as the Shadow spoke to him in his cell: He still desired power, but deep in his heart, his hatred burned deep, deep enough that he almost felt as though Elsa's frosts would never touch him.

With nothing to lose, he nodded to Albrecht, who smiled maliciously.

And in the corner, shrinking like the wallflower he was between his two ambitious brothers, was Klaus, pondering to himself what he and, more importantly, his brother Hans were getting themselves into.

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><p>Two souls, one burning with hate and another with malice, looked north towards a small kingdom who had no idea of a tide of darkness ready to flood it.<p>

And guiding their hands to this terrible outcome was a Shadow, fire flickering from his canine snout, a tingle of excitement overcoming his being. This Shadow loomed over two worlds: the Guardians were already in distress over a strange presence skulking in the dark corners of their home turf, and unbeknownst to the people of Arendelle, their beloved kingdom, sculpted of ice woven of the love of their queen, would soon feel the Shadow's flames burn it all to the ground.


	2. The Hungry Dark

**First update in ages, I do apologize.**

**After my previous masterpiece, _Love Times Five_, I was drained of ideas and needed a long, long, long time to recuperate before I could come up with ideas to continue my other stories.**

**But now I'm back, and ready to return to my roots, so to speak.**

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><p>Pitch spun around at his hollow globe deep within his lair, so far, everything was going as planned. The Wolf had kept his end of the bargain and Pitch swelled with glee as he felt the power he lost return within himself. Much like in North's globe, Pitch's own globe was pulsing with fiery red veins, indicating a flux of power for his new partner-in-crime.<p>

His elegant yet sinister Nightmares returned under his control, flocking around the shady corners, nooks and crannies of his domain, neighing and nickering in anticipation of future battles to fight; and to sweeten the deal, Pitch even got the chance to wield a bit of the Wolf's powers for his own use if ever the Guardians face him again, which he hoped would be soon.

(Line here)

The Man on the Moon, after much consternation, imparted the knowledge of the warning he came to deliver the Guardians – a burning shadow hiding in the darkened recesses of the world. None of the Guardians knew of what this Shadow was and what it was capable of, thus far Pitch has been the oldest threat to them as they could remember. But Manny warned that this shadow was far older, preceding even Pitch when he was active during the Dark Ages.

"Wait, why, if this being is more powerful than Pitch, has it decided to come out only now?" North asked, coming to the realization of why something so powerful, so evil would awaken now of all the times it could have before.

As he did before, Manny placed new information directly to their minds, letting the knowledge sink in about the Shadow. As it turns out, Manny had dealt with the Shadow before, it did not end well, a tragedy the Guardians could only guess at. As for his sudden re-emergence, it turns out some other being, who straddles the borders of this world and others past the veil of their present reality, seeks to conquer this Shadow, and by sheer coincidence, the Man on the Moon, and by extension, his chosen Guardians have found themselves inexplicably thrust into the conflict of these two beings.

"Hold it, hold it" Jack cut in, "So let me get one thing straight here: We're dealing with some kind of weird freaky Shadow from another world – is no one else thinking this isn't really our fight?"

"Jack! What are you saying?" North asked, surprised by Jack's sudden quip.

"Well... isn't it obvious? I mean, sure we're always going to fight for Manny and all, but... this isn't really between 'us' and this Shadow, you know?"

Bunnymund hopped straight up to Jack to look him square in the eye, "Look mate, I know what you mean, but you should have seen what he did to my little eggs! Whether this guy's beef is with us or not doesn't matter because he's clearly not splitting hairs with who he's picking his fights with."

"And he almost killed Baby Tooth!" Little Baby Tooth nodded behind Toothiana.

"And burned my workshop!" North extended his arms outwards to all the damage that occurred to his abode. At first he said it was nothing when Jack asked what had happened, he assumed that one of the elves accidentally decided to have fun with some kind of pyrotechnic.

"So... he basically messed with everyone of you guys?"

They all nodded, and then puzzled, a sense of realization coming over them, "Jack," North began, "You mean, he didn't try to attack you?"

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, for some reason he felt awkward even though he didn't really do anything.

"Well, no, not really."

Strange, this Shadow targeted all the Guardians, but curiously not Jack. When they inquired as to his location when the rest of the Guardians were attacked, Jack suddenly recalled his fateful meeting with the Snow Queen. He wasn't yet ready to talk about it with his fellow Guardians, so he explained it all as probably some sort of freak coincidence.

The other Guardians didn't know quite what to think of his response, but they had more pressing matters when Manny again imparted more information of their enemies.

It was a blue, faintly glowing silhouette of a woman weaving in beautiful crystalline shapes, apparently out of ice. All the Guardians were in awe, but Jack more so than the rest, because the silhouette's profile looked almost exactly like a certain someone he had met just recently. He shook his head even as the visions continued; did Manny know about the Snow Queen?

Suddenly, the swirling crystal shapes that danced around the figure turned into sharp, wicked forms that loomed around her like predators ready to snatch their prey. Instead of doing just that they transformed into smoky, wavy red flames that danced around the crystal figure, she lost her soft blue hues and her form become twisted as the writhing flames around her grew in immensity.

_Elsa_

The visions stopped abruptly and the Guardians began talking to themselves about the information presented to them, Jack excused himself and strode to a window to gather his thoughts.

Sandman was a little concerned because he had gotten wind of the fact that Jack clearly knew the crystalline figure better than any of them.

He tugged on Jack's hoodie, and jack looked back at the little shining man below him.

"Oh, hey Sandy."

A question mark appeared above him.

"It's nothing, I just needed to, um... meditate on what Manny told us."

Sandy gave him one of those "Oh, really?" looks.

"Honest, Sandy, I'm not making this up."

Sandy wasn't selling.

"All right, you win, Sandy..." Jack cleared his throat as he looked back at the Guardians continued speaking to each other.

"I... I met someone," the Sandman sat opposite him on the ledge, "I came to know her from someone else, who told me about how I could find this special place where we could meet."

Sandy continued looking at him, genuinely intrigued, I mean, the Guardians all had certain believers who were very "special" to be certain, but Jack seemed to be speaking of someone substantially and fundamentally different.

"When we met, well, let's just say I was taken aback a little. The person told me two interesting things about her, first, that she has the same powers as her."

Sandy's eyes widened a bit, shocked at the prospect – another being with power over ice and snow like Jack? Sandy thought he knew of all the other immortal beings, Guardians or not, around the world.

"We played and had some fun at first, and then we talked and got to know watch other; you should have seen her, never in my long, bitter centuries alive have I encountered someone so... breathtaking. We haven't really considered seeing each other again for a little while, we're just 'testing the waters' at the moment, but I think we're both on the right track. What track that is, I can't quite pin on yet." Jack knew it, but that was besides the point right now.

Sandy looked like he was absorbed into Jack's tale, his tiny lips curved into a gentle smile as he processed Jack's words. Love was a special emotion, and Sandman himself gets a little giddy whenever he visited the dreams of kids and their thoughts of puppy love crushes and the like, he thought it was the sweetest thing in the world.

"Anyway," he continued, "I didn't want to tell you about her because of a certain... circumstance: The circumstance of how we even met."

Sandy's eyes lit up with curiosity as Jack proceeded to talk a bit more about how it was they met. As Jack explained it, he found a painter working on her one day and he was drawn to it, as though there were some magical property to the painting. He told Jack that he could meet this person by coming to a very special place: the place where he first became a Guardian, but did not explain beyond that. He also explained that he actually brought his young friend, Jamie Bennett of Burgess along for the ride, he got lost along the way and explained he encountered a snowman, but Jack didn't quite believe it.

Then Sandman suddenly had a sort of realization at something. Sandy has, what you might call, an omniscient perception of all the children of the world – he knows exactly where they are, when new ones are conceived, and what they think of at any given moment. But for a brief moment, a moment just before he was attacked by the Shadow, one child in his all-encompassing vision disappeared. At first he was a little concerned, a child who tragically meets their end is still partly visible to him before it passes, but then just like that it reappeared to him as though nothing occurred.

Sandman made a mental note to remember that little instance before going to North's workshop, and now Jack finally reveals his little travail to him. Now he was curious, an assortment of queries forming in his mind.

Where did Jack go?

Who was this person in Manny's vision and was she the person Jack met?

But most importantly, who was the mystery painter who directed Jack to her in the first place?

* * *

><p>Chugging along like a massive wooden cetacean in the ocean was an enormous battleship, a mighty seaborne fortress brimming with guns and captained by one of the most ruthless men in history – Albrecht<p>

Hans was in his personal cabin, writing down his thoughts of the past week as he and his brothers made their way to Arendelle.

A knock on his cabin door alerted him to Klaus who stood outside, "Do you need anything, Hans?"

"No, Klaus, I'm fine."

Klaus nodded before leaving. Hans sighed, he was more than eager to go along with Albrecht's little scheme, but he never quite understood why he chose to have Klaus come along for the ride. Klaus has about as much to do with this operation as a fish in the middle of a desert.

But more importantly, he hated the fact Klaus was here because he was, in a manner of speaking, Hans's conscience.

(Flashback)

An auburn-haired young lad was in the garden of a castle's courtyard, contempt evident on his face as he kicked down lovely rows of flowers arranged lovingly on the lawn. Birds coming to rest were forced to scatter when the boy threw rocks at them.

He continued about his rampage when a strict voice bellowed his name.

"Hans!"

Coming down the stone-paved walkway coming in his direction was his mother, Queen of the Southern Isles. She marched down with the grace of royalty, but her face belied the exasperation and irritation she was feeling for the moment.

She stared down her son, who looked away, looking a little miffed himself, "Hans... what do you think you're doing?"

No response.

"Hans... look at me."

He didn't comply.

She finally bent down and brought her little boy's face to meet her gaze; once they met, her eyes widened somewhat, shocked at the dark brown bruises marked about Hans's face.

"Hans, who did this to you?"

He didn't say.

"Hans, please, this has to stop."

Rather than talk at all, Hans shoved his mother's hand away and sprinted out of the courtyard. He rushed into his room and closed the door, sulking on his bed. Tears bore through the pores in his eyes, begging release, but he fought long and hard to stave them off. He was a Prince, he was above petty emotions.

A knock was heard from the door, and a soft voice was heard from beyond it, "Hans? It's me, Klaus... are you okay?"

Hans gripped his hair in frustration, did Klaus really have to ask such an obvious question? In his anger, Hans had forgotten to lock his door, allowing his older brother entry.

"Hi, little brother, I got you a little something." Klaus pulled a little basket, setting it down on his side table, reaching in, he pulled out a little pastry, "Apple Pie!"

Hans looked up from bed and saw Klaus holding a piece of pie; part of him wanted to swat Klaus's hand away, were it not for the fact he was actually a little hungry. Hans took the little treat, trying not to look at his brother in the eye.

"I heard about what happened, you know Mother is really worried about you, Hans."

He still didn't say anything.

Klaus sat next to him, "Let me, guess... Albrecht again, was it?"

That name ignited a tiny spark of resentment in him. Of course it was Albrecht, it was always Albrecht; what other degenerate human being would live to torment him so?

"You got in his way again, didn't you?"

Hans responded with a nod, still no verbal reply, but better than nothing, all things considered.

"I'll get to the point, Hans. You don't have to go about destroying everything in the castle just because someone's bullying you." He bit on his piece of pie before continuing, "Albrecht grew up without the best upbringing in the world, Hans, and he will always be resentful, I can only guess that you tried to convince him otherwise? Help him out, maybe?"

Hans nodded.

Klaus sighed, sitting next to him, "I know you were only trying to help, Hans, but if Albrecht wants to change, it's something he has to figure out for himself."

He reached up and patted young Hans on the head, "I have to be going now, but in case you ever feel like breaking things again, just come look for me, all right?"

Hans nodded, still refusing to talk, but feeling slightly better after that little conversation with his brother.

At least one of them still cared about him...

(End Flashback)

Klaus had nothing to gain, personally nor politically, going on this little expedition. Hans turned his page back and re-examined his thoughts from the previous week. Neither Klaus nor Albrecht divulged anything regarding the former's involvement in the latter's scheme, and he jotted down possible theories for Klaus's cooperation, none of which came to him as satisfactory.

Hans was loathe to doubt his decisions, he grew up preferring to plot a course of action and then acting upon them through and through. He had no doubts about wanting to take over Arendelle, nor did he have doubts of killing Anna and Elsa for the humiliation they caused him.

So why, with Klaus around, is the inkling of doubt beginning to form in his mind?

(Guardian-verse)

In his hidden lair of darkness Pitch was diligently practicing the new powers bequeathed to him by his new benefactor.

Without warning a deafening howl screeched through his domain, catching him slightly by surprise, Pitch turned about to see the searing motes of fiery light denoting the creature's eyes.

_I see you've been in deep practice of my gifts._

"You could say that, the amount of power from it is... utterly overwhelming, it's certainly not like the power I feed from the Fear of others."

_It's... how you say... somewhat purer than the stuff you're probably used to. But enough of that, I believe, Pitch, that the time has come to begin... the plan._

Pitch's ears pricked up from the news, he had been awaiting this moment since his new friend told him all about it.

"Are you sure that we can enact it 'now?' As in right this very moment?"

_I can hear them... the voice of a thousand shadows skulking in the dark... whispering of... The Hungry Dark_

"Yes, I can hear it as well..."

_Yes, it is time for the Guardians... and your "old friend" _Pitch's friend gestured to the faint glowing orb in the sky, the Moon, and smiled behind his veil of darkness, _to be reacquainted with the new and improved you. And show them, all of them, the power of the shadow at its strongest, that those sitting atop their lofty perches in the Light of the Heavens shall know the truth of what it means to be afraid of the Dark._

With a smirk, Pitch departed from his cavern and traveled to the place where he was instructed to lure the Guardians to his trap.

The shadowy presence remained in Pitch's lair, an insidious sense of joy overwhelming his being as he heard, and felt the noises in the Dark grow louder – wailing, screaming, whispering... and the loudest, most spine-chilling of them – _hissing._

He could hear it, Pitch could hear it, even the little girl who visited Elsa in her dream could hear it.

All beings native to the Dark can hear it... the faint screams, the distant wailing, the rumbling in the dark corners of cosmos... They were the sounds of their brethren - fellow creatures of the dusk churning across numerous worlds slobbering in their dark dens eager to awaken from their slumber.

But all that noise, all of it, pales in comparison to the echo of hissing hiding behind their own cries of excitement...

It was the voice of The_ Hungry Dark..._

An ancient, immemorial entity of shadow, the primordial source of all darkness and anathema of all light.

Everyone lurking in the dark depths could hear it, for they all, inevitably, are a part of it.

_The Hungry Dark_ is the progenitor of all creatures that crawl in the dark, every shadow that slides through the night, and every fear, mortal or divine, that troubles the living and gives no peace to the dead.

And now, it began to stir, for despite all it is, it has needs like all living beings, and living up to its name, the time had come for the minions of the Dark to rise to the lands of light and serve all who live by the protection of the Sun and Moon to the maw of their master...

And when the _Hungry Dark _feeds, the best one can expect is to abandon all hope and be plunged into a tsunami of darkness that shall consume all in its path...

* * *

><p><strong>Not exactly what I envisioned but I figure building up for the more exciting chapters shouldn't happen until a little later.<strong>

**And I hope you enjoyed this little build-up I've been working on too.**

**Updates may take longer because I've officially decided to check every one of my works until they've been polished to the highest levels of quality for your reading pleasure.**


	3. Swallowed

Pitch assembled at the predetermined site he was instructed to lure the Guardians to his ambush. When he arrived, he was delighted to find that it was prepared for him like a red carpet welcome.

A fairly large, but for the most part isolated town in South Dakota called Hope, and it was teeming with dark energies.

Normally, the people of Hope were amiable, friendly and the like, but something was wrong – people were unusually testy today, everyone felt like wanting to rip someone's head off, road rage was out of control, backyard barbeques turned into brawls.

The Wolf, it seemed, had spread his hate plague into Hope, and here, in this place, Pitch felt his power grow. The Hate dispersed throughout the town would foster Fear, and both would, in turn, empower Pitch.

Evening had settled and Pitch laid low behind a dank alleyway before the Guardians arrived.

(Elsewhere)

The Guardians were alerted by alarms blaring by North's globe as the lights surrounding the town of Hope began to disappear. A feeling of perturbation festered in his gut.

"It is Pitch." he answered gravely.

"Pitch?" Jack raised a brow.

"No, something's different, I can feel it..." he gripped the sides of his gut, "...in my belly."

Bunny stepped before him, "How different, mate?"

"I don't know..." North scrunched his face, "...but it feel different from last time... feel more... potent."

Suddenly, the area on the globe where Hope was located began glowing a fiery-red glow, confirming North's suspicions.

Jack, Bunnymund and Tooth already made for North's sleigh, wasting no time to stop Pitch from whatever he was planning.

North and Sandy, on the other hand, were trying to figure out some kind of plan on how to approach the situation, but the remainder of the team decided that sitting down gallivanting around wouldn't get any results.

"Come on, North!" Jack exclaimed, "If we hurry we might be able to stop Pitch before whatever it is he's plotting is accomplished!"

"Guys! Everybody, wait! Something is not right about all of this!"

"What are you talking about, mate?" Bunny asked.

"Pitch is planning of something big... I can feel it, in..."

"Your belly, we know!" said all of the Guardians, exasperated.

"Look, North," Jack began, "whatever Pitch is planning, we gotta stop him, no matter what."

"Jack, I understand, but I have very bad feeling about this."

"Then out with it, North!" Bunny exclaimed, "I'd rather be out there doing something! Not sit on my tush debating dead end plans of action!"

"Enough, Bunny!" North had just about had enough of everyone's excitement. After settling down, the Guardians gathered together in his office to come up with some kind of plan, Pitch was all by himself and they knew that in spite of his newfound ally, it was still, more or less, five against one.

As demonstrated in their previous scuffle with Pitch, the Boogeyman nearly claimed victory when he split them apart and essentially picked them off one by one. Sandman was nearly lost when Pitch struck him with his arrow and (temporarily) erased him from existence.

The Guardians could not afford to get careless, especially not when Pitch was even more dangerous with his new ally.

(Frozen-verse)

"Elsa?" Anna knocked on her sister's door.

"Come in, Anna."

She let herself in, straightening herself as she faced her sister, busy behind piles of assorted documents and letters.

"You've been busy."

"You have no idea. Keeping track of dozens of transaction records, diplomatic treatises, trade agreements, approvals for new businesses, and even a couple of foreign marriage proposals, ugh..."

Elsa didn't like the idea of loveless, political marriages, little more than glorified territorial annexations all for the sake of satisfying Salic* tradition, which, though largely outdated by the standards of the day, remained a subconscious forethought in everyone's mind; most everyone probably saw it as a heresy of custom, but Elsa wanted her marriage, if she ever got to that point, to be meaningful, to have purpose, and not just out of some other guy's need to secure economic growth for their country.

Besides, she already had a guy in mind.

"Anyway, Anna, what's on your mind?"

"Elsa, I know your secret."

Elsa looked puzzled, "Anna, I don't understand."

"Elsa, don't play dumb, the blissful politician may work for some rulers but I'm not buying it from you."

"Anna, is this some kind of joke? Cause it's not very impressive." Deep down she was secretly worried Anna had some kind of inkling of her secret.

"Oh not much, I just found a little something that I think belongs to you..."

Elsa smiled softly, her facade not fading, "Really? Well, thank you, Anna, that was very thoughtful."

Anna pulled out said item, and quickly, the facade disappeared.

Elsa stared as, in her hand, Anna held a letter, Elsa's letter, marked with the wax Courting Seal of Arendelle.

Elsa felt her mouth drop and her eyes widen, but she quickly composed herself, but Anna could already see that she hit the nail on the head.

"Okay, Elsa, would you be kind enough to explain to me what this is all about?" Anna waved the letter in front of her sister, mocking her.

"Anna... where did you find that?" Elsa tried her best not to sound like her facade was breaking, which it was.

"Oh, I had Agatha snoop around..."

_Curses_, Elsa thought, that was the last time she leaves her office open for the kids.

Anna smirked, "She also told me you've been busy writing these letters recently."

Anna had her in the palm of her fingers, Elsa did not like how the situation was going, "Anna, those... those are none of your business..."

"Elsa... who have you been corresponding with?"

"No one."

Anna leaned on the desk, "Elsa, you don't just mark letters with the _Courting Seal_ and say it's just _no one_."

Elsa searched her brain for some kind of answer, anything would do except the truth, "I... well, I must have used that by accident..."

Anna felt like breaking into a laughing fit, _Really, Elsa?_ She thought, _This is the best lie you can think of?_

"All right, Elsa, I guess you won't mind if I borrow this letter and tell the kids all about the Courting Seal?"

Elsa could feel the onset of a panic attack coming up, if Anna told anyone else about the Courting Seal, she'll never hear the end of it.

"Wait, Anna, please, can't we talk this out?"

_Bingo_

"So..." Anna stopped, turning to face Elsa, her voice low and sing-song-y, "...what did you want to talk about?"

"I..." Elsa took a deep sigh, "I... met somebody... a young man, to be exact."

Anna's smile turned into a big, toothy grin. She walked towards the door and locked it close.

"Oh Elsa, I always wanted to say this..."

_Oh boy, here it comes..._

"You met a guy!" Anna began skipping and twirling circles around her, holding hands, "You met a guy! You TOTALLY met a guy!"

"Anna, Anna! Please, keep your voice down!"

She stopped skipping but there was still excitement bursting from the surface.

"Sorry, sorry, I know I was getting ahead of myself..." she cleared her throat before continuing, "Anyway... what's he like? Where does he come from? Is he handsome? Is he fat? What's his favorite food?"

"Anna, please, slow down."

"Sorry, sorry... but, I just gotta know, you know? I mean, you've never shown any interest in guys before, you know? Until now."

"All right, I'll tell you..." Anna pulled a chair by the corner, listening intently on what Elsa had to say.

"Well, what do you want me to start off with?"

"How about a name?"

"His name is Jack, Jack Frost."

"What does he look like?"

Elsa brought her finger to her lips to think, "Well, he wears these strange clothes I have never seen before, and he doesn't wear shoes."

"Doesn't wear shoes? Elsa, he sounds like a pauper."

"Oh, he's a lot more than that, Anna."

Ignoring the cryptic words, Anna gestured her to describe his physical looks.

"Well, he's lean, a bit on the skinny side, but definitely athletic."

"Oooh..." Anna started imagining what Elsa's companion would look like.

"He has a chiseled jaw, pale alabaster skin that shimmers beneath the moon, cerulean blue eyes..." Elsa started having that dreamy haze about her eyes, thinking about him made her feel... fluttery.

"Elsa? Elsa!" Anna snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"Oh... what?"

"You nearly went into a daze, silly."

"I did? Oh, sorry about that."

"Whoever he is, you've really taken a shine to him."

"Well... I wouldn't say that, we only just met and, despite being rather wonderful the first time around, I'd like to meet him again and get to know him better."

"Speaking of knowing him better... what are his traits?"

"He's a bit on the wild side."

"Oooh," Anna formed a mischievous grin, "I didn't know you were into that, Elsa."

"A-Anna!" Elsa was getting flustered by the implications Anna was hinting at, "He is not that kind of wild!"

Anna stifled a giggle, "I'm just kidding! But anyway, would you like to expound upon that?"

"Well..." Elsa looked about, trying to think of the words to more properly describe Jack.

"He's... free-spirited and fun-loving, but clearly doesn't know his way around women."

Both sisters giggled, "Still, he can be quite the charmer, and I mean that in the best possible way."

"What do you mean?"

"He... well, we went ice-skating on a frozen lake, and carved our own little snowflake designs on the ice. He was, shall we say, mesmerized by my design, and gave me a compliment... I tell you, Anna, he knows how to give compliments."

"I can imagine. You know, Elsa, I don't think I asked yet... but why did you keep Jack a secret?"

"Oh," Elsa wasn't quite ready to answer that particular question, "Well... it's just, you're not very good with secrets, Anna."

"I am too!"

"Oh really?" she raised a brow, "Then why did you have Agatha snoop around me?"

Anna smiled sheepishly, "Well, you know..." she cleared her throat loudly, changing the subject, "Anyway... when do you plan to see him again?"

Elsa rolled her eyes, but decided not to hold it against Anna, "Soon, I need some time to go gather my thoughts elsewhere."

"Where are you going, Elsa?"

"To the North Mountain."

"Oh, it's been a while, the last time you went there was when I asked if Gustaf could have his birthday up there."

"I remember, and if you don't mind, I'd like you to take care of Arendelle for me awhile, can you handle that Anna?"

Anna nodded her head in confirmation, "Of course! I know how much your private time means to you." Then she gasped as she absentmindedly registered the word "private."

"Elsa!" she exclaimed, a blush creeping up her face, "You're not going to invite him to your palace and" and she said this next one with finger quotes, "make beautiful blizzards with him?"

It was Elsa's turn to blush, "A-Anna! Please, I am not that kind of woman!"

"Oh thank goodness..." she sighed in relief.

Elsa readied to return to her personal quarters, "Anyway, I must be getting ready now, are you sure you'll be fine without me?"

Anna smiled innocently, "Of course! Me and Kristoff have it covered, you just go do whatever it is you need to do..." a concerned look formed on her face, "...but seriously, no funny stuff, okay?"

Elsa stifled a laugh, "Anna, please, who do you think I am?"

(Guardian-verse)

Jack floated tenuously above the small town of Hope, the stench of assorted negative emotions wafting like a nauseating miasma.

Hovering down cautiously, Jack took to the ground and looked about cautiously, his staff gripped tight by his side.

"Jackson Overland Frost"

Jack turned his face at the familiar condescending tone he had gotten so well-acquainted with.

"Pitch?"

The familiar figure of the shadow man stepped forth from the dark alleyway and bowed before the winter spirit in mock-courtesy.

"It's been ages, hasn't it, Jack?"

"Um... it's only been a year, Pitch." Jack said, trying not to sound fazed.

"A single year can last a lifetime to someone living in the dark all the time, Frost."

Jack smirked, "Maybe you should consider retiring from Nightmare King and learn to live a little, Pitch."

"Hardy har har... can you really afford to pull a joke at a time like this? I think you and I both know things have changed significantly since my last encounter with you and the Guardians." Pitch eyed around lazily, before turning back to Jack, "Say, where are the Guardians?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Jack asked, snarky.

"Very... but it doesn't matter, one Guardian to take on is just as good as the whole shebang."

Corrupted Dreamsand began forming clouds of darkness, making the already dark town even darker. Galloping to Pitch's side were his ever-present, ever-faithful Nightmares, ready to pounce and do exactly as he commands them to.

"I see you've gotten them back under control," Jack commented, not letting his confidence slide one bit.

"It was an arduous year for me, Jack," Pitch patted one of his Nightmares gently on its mane, "It felt like another century or so passed while I was busy bringing them back under my power. Now that they are, though..." he turned to Jack with pure contempt radiating from his sickly golden eyes.

"...I can finally settle old scores with you lot once and for all."

Telepathically communicating with his Nightmares, Pitch retained his glare at Jack all while the winter spirit remained thoroughly calm even as they surrounded him.

"Sure thing, Pitch, I'm up for a little spar," and in the blink of an eye, he sped up into the skies, out of the Nightmares' reach, "But you'll have to catch me first."

The horde of Nightmares likewise flew into the air to give chase. Jack flew higher and higher, penetrating the layers of cloud before diving back down just before the Nightmares caught him, chucking a few bolts of ice along the way to stymie their advance.

"Is this all you got Pitch?" Jack shouted, "Just another pack of black ponies chasing after helpless lads like me?"

"Trust me Jack, I have a few new tricks up my sleeve, but I'd prefer not wasting it on spoil-sports like you!"

Jack flew low down the street and right into a warehouse yard with plenty of room to maneuver.

A fountain of dark matter erupted and knocked the wind out of Jack, causing him to tumble against the asphalt. He coughed as he reconstituted himself.

Pitch emerged from the shadows and sneered down on the Guardian of Fun, "Is that all you got, Jack Frost?"

"Nope, this is. North! Sandy! Now!"

Suddenly, portals formed from North's globes opened all around them, and tendrils of Dreamsand seeped through, lashing at the monstrous Nightmares, followed by a dozen or so boomerangs that put them all down, one of them knocking into Pitch and causing him to lose consciousness.

When he awoke, he was wrapped in Dreamsand ropes holding him against the ground.

"Huh... you actually had a plan this time." Pitch said nonchalantly.

"All right, Pitch, I think you owe us explanation," North replied, looking down at Pitch sternly.

"An explanation for what?"

"Don't play dumb, you hoon," Bunny chimed in, "Who's this new friend of yours that's been messing up our business?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, Bunny? Sadly, I'm afraid my new confidant isn't one for introductions, but I'd be glad to point you in the right direction if you'd look up."

Confused, the Guardians turned to the sky, and what they witnessed sent shivers down their spine.

The Guardians looked up and saw a swirling mass of corrupted Dreamsand in immeasurable quantities floating in the sky.

Stringing along with them were veins of brightly glowing fire than caused the sand to swirl erratically and inconsistently with the clouds.

Streaks of lightning and fiery explosions ignited as the clouds of fire and black Dreamsand swirled into the eye of a hurricane, slowly descending like a menacing tentacle towards the Guardians.

"What in...?" Bunny was cut short when the swirls of the dark cloud exploded and from it emerged a huge rhinoceros made of pure dark matter charging straight for them!

"Scatter!" Jack shouted as the Guardians split apart to avoid the charging monster coming for them.

"You think dividing will help you?" Pitch sneered at the fleeing Guardians, coming free of his own bonds, "Try this on for size!"

The huge shadow rhino split into five clones of itself, each one pursuing a Guardian.

Bunny was whipping out his boomerangs trying to fight back his pursuer, but not a scratch landed as they bounced harmlessly upon the rhino's body.

Bunny continued jumping away, but when he glanced back to see the creature only a few feet away from him, he failed to notice the huge freight container right before him, smacking into it straight in the face.

As Bunny tried to get his bearings back, he noticed the shadow rhino was now upon him, coming down like an avalanche of blackness.

"Oh, crikey..." The rhino smashed into Bunny, swirling into an intangible mass of shadow before reforming into some kind of portal, with Bunny slushing around the rim, being sucked into the vortex.

"Bunny!" Tooth flew down as soon she thought she got away from her pursuer, and attempted to reach for Bunnymund, grabbing a hold on his hand.

"Tooth, just go, save yourself!" he shouted, but she wasn't listening.

"Tooth, watch out!" Tooth looked behind and saw the rhino she was trying to escape charge into her. With no time to escape Tooth was rammed into the portal, and the both of them got sucked into the swirling vortex into oblivion.

Up in the sky, Sandy and North were trying to fight back their chasers.

"Ha!" North shouted, "You don't scare me!" His sleigh was heading towards one of the rhinos with swords raised. The reindeer skillfully dodged to the side as North ran his blade through the creature's body, when he pulled out, he saw his sword dissolved into a short stump of its former self.

"That's no good..." he muttered to himself.

Off to by the other end was Sandman, flying above on his golden Dreamsand cloud, whipping at the rhino that circled him as a predator would. All of his efforts would be for naught, when the rhino shot him with a blast of lightning that dislodged him off his cloud.

"I got you, Sandy!" North and his sleigh caught Sandy before he was caught by one of the other beasts.

Jack flew by their side, "What do we do now, North!?"

"I don't know, Jack. This is not something I have dealt with in history as a Guardian!"

The strange shadow rhinos offered no opportunity for them to catch a breather when one of them came crashing from below, breaking the sleigh apart and scattering North, his reindeer and Sandy and they all spiraled into the abyss of the vortex which their beastly assaulter turned into.

"North! Sandy!" Jack saw the beasts reform again into a single creature and gave chase to Jack, who tried to make a getaway, only to bump right into Pitch.

"Going somewhere, Frost?"

Jack braced his staff towards him, "What did you do to my friends!?"

"They're going to make a fine feast for the Hungry Dark."

"Who...?" Pitch summoned a spear of corrupted Dreamsand and flung it at Jack, who summoned a barrier of ice trying to shield himself.

The collision caused a massive explosion that sent Jack flying several miles before, just below him, a giant sphere of dark matter materialized and he was sucked into the vortex. He screamed in agony, as though a thousand pounds of G-forces were crushing him, if he wasn't already a spirit, he probably would have died.

The sphere began to shrink into the size of a baseball which Pitch plucked into his palms, he stared with a devious smile as he watched Jack swirling and shrieking in pain as the sphere's gravitational forces pulled him in.

"You won't get away with this, Pitch!" Jack shouted defiantly.

"I already have," he snickered before he slammed his palms shut, closing the sphere.

"Enjoy oblivion, Guardians."

* * *

><p>Jack continued falling into a seemingly endless pitfall, unable to tell up from down as he swirled every which way, yet even as the situation seemed hopeless, he could only think of one person as he tumbled to what seemed to be the end.<p>

And that person was a certain platinum-blonde snow queen he just met some time ago, and he didn't even get to say goodbye...

"Jack!"

That's funny, he thought he just heard North call his name.

"Jack!"

Jack opened his eyes and saw, to his astonishment, North and all the other Guardians swooping towards him on a colossal owl with shimmering navy blue feathers.

"Wha-? North!" He frantically began making towards the giant avian.

"Jack, grab hold! Quickly!" he shouted.

Jack frantically swan and managed to get a hold of the creature's talon, grasping by a few fingers.

"I can't... hold on! Aah!" Jack slipped and was once more tumbling through the darkness.

"Jack!" Another figure jumped from the great bird and dove towards Jack. Although his vision was blurry, Jack could make out his face, and his eyes opened wide as he recognized the stranger with his fellow Guardians.

"Baldur?"

Baldur reach out his hand, beckoning Jack to grab hold before he was sucked inside.

Jack reached out, stretching his arm as much as he could, his fingers just inches away.

_Come on Jack, you can do it... come on!_

The tips of their fingers came in contact, only a little bit more...

"Agh!" Jack felt some strange tendril string around his neck, choking him and pulling him down.

"Baldur!" more of the shadowy tendrils emerged and constricted Jack, dragging him kicking and screaming as they did.

Baldur could only watch helpless as Jack slipped further and further away...

"Jack!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Cliffhanger, eh?**

**There was a word here I think might deserve expounding upon, marked by an asterisk (*)**

**Salic – Refers to a medieval French law where women (and their descendants, regardless of gender) were not allowed to inherit the throne. This was a partial cause for the Hundred Years War, since the King of England, by virtue of being born the son of the Queen of France, was regarded as unfit to become the French King, despite the fact Salic Law had been obsolete for a long time.**


	4. Baldur's Move

The story of Arendelle and the Guardians was running its course, but this was merely one theater of a bigger struggle in the larger span of the cosmos. Elements conspiring in the background were moving to bring about the downfall of their worlds, but other forces were working in opposition as well, key movers with a vested interest in keeping both of these worlds safe from the Dark rousing to consume them both.

In another time, another place, another reality, three boys had made landfall on the city-planet of Gimlé intending to meet with its leader, Baldur.

You are probably wondering what any of this has to do with anything.

In the legends of Norse mythology, after Ragnarok, the prophesied Fate of the Gods, the lords of Asgard would perish, their world inundated by a great calamity that would see the cessation of their existence… but only temporarily.

Ragnarok was not the destined "End of the World" that modern interpretations of the legends present it to be; it was a syncretization of accounts by medieval chroniclers to conform the beliefs of Nordic folklore into something more palatable for the sensibilities of their scholarly peers.

Like the passing hour, the changing seasons, the rise and fall of the sun and moon, Ragnarok was merely the end point of a cycle, the beginning of a period of rest when the souls of those who fell would return to the universe, the power and energies accumulated in the course of their life taken back to perpetuate Existence, and then reborn again like seedlings blossoming after the thaw of Spring. Life, as they say, goes on.

Of course, that doesn't mean that nothing occurs in between the Death and Rebirth of Asgard. As the gods would be reborn in the distant future, the destructive forces would return as well, sometimes before Asgard's appointed comeback, and work to interrupt the revival process.

Baldur, who is tied to the Asgardian gods but not, in a true sense, an actual member of their Pantheon, was appointed the task of protecting the items needed for its renewal, keeping them safe from those who would seek to destroy them and break the cycle, ending Asgard forever.

To accomplish this, he built the fortress-planet of Gimlé to house the relics and protect them from ne'er-do-wells wishing for the Aesir and Vanir's final demise.

This was his overall mission in the grand scheme of things, and today he summoned a group of three young individuals to help him deal with another front of a bigger war he was trying to deal with, one where his own resources were stretched very thin.

They may look like young, inexperienced teenagers, but they are much stronger than any ordinary human.

Gilgamesh, or Gil, as he is called by his peers, was their appointed leader, Baldur's nephew and aspiring hero. He would like to say that he is driven by a strong sense of justice, but in reality, he is driven by the need to forge his own identity and merits independent of the shadow of his father or his uncle Baldur. He has his doubts about the validity of his motivations, but his family assures him that sometimes, heroes need to start fighting for selfish reasons before they fight for magnanimous reasons.

Second of their party was Forseti, Baldur's son and a half-elf, for most of his life he prefers the lounge life, satiating his Viking appetite with pots full of meat, fish, cakes, and downing it all with his favorite root beer, all while being caroused by his pixie consorts, who fawn over him and quarrel over his affections every chance they get. He may not place too much priority over it, but Baldur worries he may have spoiled his son a fair bit. Still, don't let his playfulness lead you in the wrong direction; as the Norse (demi)god of justice, it is Forseti's duty to battle iniquity wherever it presents itself - he travels the cosmos as a wandering vigilante, and when roused, he dispenses retribution by the blunt head of his mighty warhammer, _Hraustligr_, but only upon those who deserve it.

Third, and most mysterious of them, was Malus, who looked to be only a youngster, but who knows whether his appearance reflected his age? Malus, you see, was a vampire, and like all of his kind, he could change form depending on the amount of blood he has consumed, so although he resembled a little kid, he could be anything but. The circumstances of his existence are kind of hazy, and the details are, as of now, privy only to Baldur and his brothers. However, he has proven himself trustworthy to Gil and Forseti, and he stands among them as a valued member of their team.

After traipsing through the golden halls of Gimlé, they arrived in the throne room, a huge, wide dome-shaped chamber located within the pinnacle of the great tower crowning the fortress. Before them was Gimlé's lord and master, Baldur, who was looking over a graphite tablet of information he was perusing. It took a minute for him to realize the boys had arrived on schedule.

"Boys, you have arrived."

He was particularly ecstatic that his son had decided to answer his call to arms, but as always, he kept a professional aura about him.

"Fors, how goes the smiting?"

"Business as usual, father."

"Well I understand that you three may be tired, but hopefully you rested yourselves before your arrival, but I'm afraid I'll need to cut to the chase."

Baldur walked towards his throne and pressed a button on the armrest which caused his entire throne room to rotate, switching the entrance's passage to an antechamber connected to another room, also with a domed ceiling and included various clockwork mechanisms behind glass walls. Standing in the middle was a man with silver hair, teal skin and brown, gentlemanly clothes.

"Kids, this is Chronos, and he will provide the explanation for why I have gathered you here today."

Chronos bowed respectfully, "Welcome, I do believe you are all familiar with who I am and what I do?"

He watches over the timeline of all realities and keeps abreast of any and all abnormalities that show therein, that's the long and short of it, but you knew that, right?

Chronos explained to them that dark forces have conspired an assault on multiple fronts against the realms of reality and Baldur and his brothers were needed to turn back their momentum before it became too difficult to handle.

The three boys were brought out because their skills would be useful in fighting off the enemy, not to mention they were the only remaining resources available for Baldur to use at present.

Chronos began twisting some of the dials and pulled the levers of the room's mechanisms, and emerging from the center of the room was a circular dais that pulsed with a strange distortion. The distortion began to normalize its shape as three portals opened up from its opposite sides.

Chronos left his mechanisms and approached the teens again, "Malus, I need you to go to the Nox Infinitas and find the one called Jack Frost, the Dark Primagen has claimed him as his own and only time will tell before he is consumed. As a creature of the night, I'm sure you will have no trouble going through that grim place."

Malus nodded, "There is nothing that the darkness cannot hide from me, but what of my friends?"

Baldur stepped in the answer his question, "I'm afraid they will be needed elsewhere," then he turned to Gilgamesh, "Gil, we are sending you to assist a group who call themselves the Guardians, their ancestors have fought against the Darkness in eons past, but today they have not had much in the way of experience fighting such a potent adversary."

"They won't be too much of a load for me, will they?"

"Perhaps, that will depend on how efficiently you help them adapt."

Gil and Malus were directed towards their respective portals, Malus gestured to his friend, and playfully bade him "See you in Hell, Gil."

"Not before I get there first."

They disappeared into their portals, leaving Forseti, Chronos and Baldur to themselves.

"Well, Father, what shall I do where I am going?"

"My son, you will be going to Arendelle, to the home world of Queen Elsa."

"Madame Elsa? But if that's the case, shouldn't _he_ have a right to know?"

"Fors, you should know by now I deliberately keep certain kinds of information privy to the right kinds of people at the appropriate time. If _he _knew that Elsa and Jack are in jeopardy, _he_ wouldn't think straight."

"I suppose so, very well, but I feel _he_ deserves to know what's going on, _he _has a right to know what's happening to those two."

"If the situation ever deteriorates to that point, I will disclose that information to _him_, but for now, we need to keep it hush-hush. Besides, Fors, I would only delegate these kinds of tasks to people I trust with absolute confidence."

"Thanks, Father, I won't let you down."

Baldur placed a hand on Forseti's shoulder, "I've never known you to let me down, son."

Forseti stared into the portal leading to wherever Arendelle would be, "So what will I do when I get there?"

"Protect the Arendelle royal family from Prince Albrecht of Westergard. He will give no quarter, and I don't expect you to give him any."

"Why? A lowly madman like him cannot be so much a threat that I can neutralize him without lethal force?"

"No one there knows it, not even his brothers, but Albrecht has pledged fealty to the Dark powers, he seeks the power of the Snow Queens so that he may sacrifice their world to earn the favor of his masters, who promise to fulfill his thirst for conquest by bringing him to new worlds beyond our own and make him a leader of one of their warhosts."

"He has no idea what he's getting himself into, is he?"

"What he intends to do if he succeeds is none of my concern, he must not be allowed to succeed, period, or else he will just become another headache for me and my brothers to deal with."

"Now Father, you needn't stress yourself, I'll take care of your little headache before he becomes a migraine."

"Thank you, son, but I'll keep monitoring you from here and plan for any unforeseen turn of events."

Before Forseti could enter the portal, he felt five pairs of little hands tug at him by the bottom of his shirt, it was his pixie friends, "Oh dear, now my lovelies, I can't bring you with me where I'm going."

They begged loudly, pleading Forseti to let him take them, "You will be safe here in Gimlé, I can handle myself where I'm going, and if you don't let me go, I'll not take you to any more of my parties for the next couple of months."

The pixies moaned but complied, they didn't wish to disobey him if it meant he'd cut them off for a long while.

"I'm sorry, Father, but do you think you could look after them?"

Baldur smiled, "Relax, Fors, I will keep them safe, just finish your task if you ever wish to see them again."

Forseti patted them on the head, reassuring his tiny companions, "I shan't be long, ladies, so behave yourselves 'til my return."

The pixies waved him goodbye until he was engulfed by the light of the portal he stepped into and disappeared to Arendelle.

Once they were alone, Chronos and Baldur had a little chat.

"I must admit to what your son just said, I would have figured _he_ would have been a better candidate for this kind of operation."

Baldur shook his head, "I thought so as well, at least initially, but I think this operation is better-suited to someone without a vested personal stake in the matter, and Forseti will not fail me."

"_He_ will know of this eventually, right?"

"_He_ will undoubtedly know about this, how and when… is up to the fates to decide."

Arendelle…

Anna and her daughter Agatha were out at the floral store of the town, looking for something blue to decorate Agatha's window planters.

"Mom, let's try some of these hydrangeas!" Agatha plucked a small bundle of the flowers to display to her mom.

"Those look splendid, Agatha, but what do you think of these?" Anna pulled out some Clematis that was on the side.

"Oh, that looks really pretty." Agatha glanced back and forth at the two pretty plants, and pondered which of the two to take back with her for use in her planter.

Suddenly, a distant booming noise could be heard as Agatha snapped up at the strange sound, "Hey mom, did you hear that?"

Suddenly, a huge explosion burst the roof of the floral store above them.

"Ah! What's going on!"

More cascades of fire rained up from above as Arendelle found itself scorched by an artillery bombardment just outside their port.

On board his massive warship, Albrecht clasped the railing firmly. His spies in Arendelle had informed him via carrier pigeon that Elsa had gone to her retreat a good distance away, he needed to work fast if he wanted to seize control of the town before she decided to come back and ruin it for him.

"There's nothing like the smell of sulphur to start the day…"

He inhaled deeply.

"Smells like… conquest."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So… more than a year has passed since I decided to upload a new chapter to this story. So, you know the drill, this is a sequel/continuation of Act One: A Portrait's World Apart, if you haven't read that you may be confused by the plot.

Also, just in case you're feeling inundated by tons of OCs, just to let you know, I am an aspiring author and the OCs you've seen are characters from my (massive) fictional universe I created. I am adding them to the story because A) it gives me slightly more control over elements in my story and B) I find myself wanting to write about them but can't find a good place to start their tale, so I'm just going to do it _in medias res_ style instead.


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